Studfarm De Hoge Ginkel aims to breed beautiful, good moving, but above all manageable dressage horses for recreational sports.
We try to achieve that by:
Having the mares inspected on X-rays & health upon purchase, handling them daily and to test their character under saddle.
Only using stallions that had a 9 or 10 for character (ride-ability) in their stallion test. There are many good moving warmblood stallions, these will all add good gaits, we prefer character over maximum movement.
Spending lots of time with the foals in the imprinting phase. After all, character is a combination of "nature and nurture"
Our foals are handled daily, are stabled in the evening, they know the lorry, can be tied to a rope, know the farrier, walk by hand, go with their mother on forest rides and can be alone in the stable without their mother before they are weaned.
We participate in the pilot of the KWPN (Royal Warmblood Horse Netherlands) in which the crossing of Spanish and Portuguese mares and KWPN stallions is stimulated. The KWPN strives for blood renewal and the combination of the natural abilities of both breeds. The modern Warmbloods are beautiful, big moving, athletic horses, where the traditional Iberian horses are known for their beautiful appearance, natural talent for collection and of course their balanced characters.
This crossing could well result in "the best of both worlds".
A video about cross breeding in the Netherlands and Europe.
Stal de Hoge Ginkel has had great experiences with its own Spanish and Portuguese horses, they have proven to be to be undaunted, very loyal, athletic, inquisitive, beautiful and extremely comfortable. We strongly believe that crossing these two breeds could result in the perfect horse for the 'average' rider.
Our stallion Gallito is approved by both the Lusitano Studbook and the Anglo European Studbook (AES), his foals can be registered with the AES and the KWPN.
Read here about the foal registration options at the KWPN
